NHS home bowel-cancer tests to be extended to over-50s in England
All 50-74 year olds in England will now get a home test kit for bowel cancer every two years.
NHS England is offering faeces immunochemical testing (FIT) for all 54-74 year olds from 2021 and anyone older can request it by phone.
But after trials of local screening programs for people over 50, the age is now being lowered, bringing it in line with Scotland and Wales.
And more than 850,000 additional people in England will now be able to return a stool sample for a blood test.
The youngest patient from Northamptonshire diagnosed through the screening programme, 54-year-old Steven Ball, presented a positive sample last May.
A colonoscopy at his local hospital revealed a small lesion, which turned out to be early-stage cancer.
Keyhole surgery in July removed it, and Mr Ball is now unlikely to require further treatment.
“My cancer was so small that it didn’t show up on a CT scan and it was caught and removed at a very early stage, which is the best thing that could happen. told BBC News.
“This shows how important it is to test your stool and get yourself tested so you can have peace of mind when it comes through the post.”
The NHS says one in every 50 of those who return samples need further testing, which may include scans
But less than 60% of 54-57 year olds return their Fit Kits, while more than 70% of 60-74 year olds return their Fit Kits.
Cancer Research UK says more than 120 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer – the fourth most common type – in the UK every day, accounting for more than 11% of all new cancer cases.
Professor Peter Johnson, national clinical director of cancer for NHS England, urged people “not to feel embarrassed about stool”, urging all those eligible to use the “quick and simple” fit kit Encourage.
“What we do know is that if it’s caught early, the chances of survival are very good,” he said.
Dr Lisa Wild, research director at Bowel Cancer UK, said: “Screening is the best way to detect bowel cancer at an early stage – when it is treatable and curable.
“In fact, more than nine in 10 people survive bowel cancer if diagnosed in an early stage.”
